Right now, many healthcare providers I work with introduce new technologies (like telemedicine, data analytics, ML-based clinical decision support systems, remote patient monitoring, IoMT) and witness benefits like reduced expenses, optimized staff schedules and load. However, certain technology benefits come along with challenges.
For many years, the main area of concern for healthcare providers has been data security and regulatory compliance. Technology-intensive, highly interconnected solutions pose new security risks and ask for an elaborate cybersecurity strategy. To mitigate these risks, I recommend starting with secure architecture design and follow secure development practices. Also, pay special attention to regular security testing.
Another tech challenge may emerge when designing ML-based solutions like clinical decision support systems, medical image analysis software, etc. To train these systems, data scientists require comprehensive data sets with anonymized real-life clinical cases. However, these data sets may be biased, e.g., in favor of certain demographics groups, making it hard to create universally applicable ML models. In this case, I suggest defining the target patient group and collecting the training and validation data sets accordingly to avoid potential clinical mistakes.
- Alena Nikuliak, Healthcare IT Consultant at ScienceSoft
*Technology has had a profound impact on the healthcare industry, providing new tools and treatments that have saved countless lives. *
*On one hand, new medical technologies have allowed healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat diseases that were once considered incurable. They can now perform surgeries that are far less invasive than they once were and can use sophisticated imaging techniques to detect problems that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. *
*On the other hand, the widespread use of electronic health records has led to increased instances of medical identity theft. In addition, the reliance on technology can sometimes lead to errors and oversights, such as when a doctor prescribes the wrong medication or fails to spot an important symptom. As healthcare providers strive to strike the right balance, it is clear that technology will continue to shape the landscape of healthcare for years to come. *